March Means National Frozen Food Month!

Harrisburg, PA— Sponsored by the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA), March National Frozen Food Month is one of the longest running promotions of its kind. Last year, the promotion generated $90 million dollars in incremental sales, marking nine years that the year-to-year dollar sales performance of the frozen department was superior to that of the remainder of the store, proving that promotion during March works!

March National Frozen Food Month will be announced to 37 million consumers nationally in an FSI run in major newspapers on February 22, 2004. The two-page FSI will feature coupons from the sponsoring manufacturer brands and will also encourage consumers to enter the $10,000 Freezer Favorites Sweepstakes on NFRA’s consumer web site, www.BringUsToYourTable.com.

Visitors to www.BringUsToYourTable.com have year-round access to meal solution ideas, recipes, preparation and storage guidelines, games for kids and much more.

NFRA will reach consumers at the retail level with the distribution of specially designed point of sale materials for March which incorporate the Bring Us To Your Table! Freezer Favorites logo and communicate the good taste and quality aspects of frozen foods through appetite-appealing food photography.

March National Frozen Food Month is just one of the promotions within the larger umbrella of the Bring Us To Your Table! Freezer Favorites industry-wide marketing/public relations campaign. By incorporating the Bring Us To Your Table! Freezer Favorites theme and message into the March promotion and all of NFRA’s 2004 promotions the industry can begin to brand frozen foods in the mind of the consumer.

To encourage support of March throughout the industry, NFRA is again sponsoring the Golden Penguin Awards Competition. The Golden Penguin Award is recognized throughout the industry as a symbol of excellence. It represents dedication, innovation and success in the promotion of frozen foods. Winners of the prestigious Gold Penguin receive industry-wide recognition at the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Convention October 23-27, 2004 in Washington, DC. A complete rules brochure is available from NFRA or can be downloaded from the NFRA web site at www.nfraweb.org.

NFRA will continue its media relations efforts during March National Frozen Food Month. A special focus will be made on the Hispanic market. A press release written specifically for this consumer segment will be translated into Spanish and sent to over 650 different Hispanic publications.

In addition, press releases will be sent to over 10,000 newspapers nationwide delivering key messages about the benefits of using frozen foods, as well as featuring a frozen food recipe. Also, radio spots directing consumers to the frozen food aisle during March will be distributed to over 6,000 radio stations across the country.

The success of March National Frozen Food Month would not be possible without the grassroots efforts of the local frozen food associations. Many local associations are conducting promotions in their regions offering consumers opportunities for saving on their favorite frozen foods.

For additional information on March National Frozen Food Month or Bring Us To Your Table! Freezer Favorites, call NFRA at 717-657-8601, or visit www.nfraweb.org and/or www.BringUsToYourTable.com.

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